OAM for woman blending cultures and bringing peace

CELEBRATING and promoting the city's multicultural community has earned a Toowoomba woman one of the country's highest honours.

Gitie House today received an Order of Australia Medal as part of The Queen's Birthday 2017 Honours List for her service to the community of Toowoomba.

"It is such a big honour, honestly I am speechless," Ms House said.

"What has really been special is working with the Toowoomba community - one can't achieve it alone."

Ms House has many roles such as membership of the Regional Advisory Committee for Toowoomba at St Vincent's Private Hospital and also of the State Government's Multicultural Advisory Council.

But it is her role as president of the Toowoomba Multicultural Society since 2008, formerly the Australia Asian Society of Toowoomba from 2004, that is one of her best-known, and from that the instigation of the popular Toowoomba Languages and Cultures Festival.

"It has always been a passion of mine to bring people together and building peace amongst people from diverse backgrounds," she said.

"It is a wonderful way to bring people together and get people to understand different cultures and make friends.

"We have several hundred members but we work with literally thousands of people who are not our members."

Ms House said she came to Australia as a very shy 19-year-old from India and moved to Toowoomba in 1978.

"In every place there is always some people who are lagging behind, but that can't define Toowoomba. What defines it is the bulk who are so open-hearted," she said.

"To get such an award from the highest office shows how accepting Australia is and it feels like I have succeeded in giving back.

"I would just like to thank the Australian government and all the people of Toowoomba for all their support and their whole-heartedness in making people feel safe."

Another Toowoomba resident, Geoffrey Lloyd Holmes, will receive an Order of Australia Medal today for his service to the community.

Goondiwindi man John Toohey will also receive an OAM for his service to veterans and their families and to his community.